Lace joint for shoes and other apparel



7 19 F. KOSLOWSKI LACE JOINT FOR SHOES AND OTHER APPAREL Filed June 26., 1926 In Vendor." Franz lfos/omsfiz' Patented May 24, 1927".

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANZ KOSLOWSKI, F GLATZ, GERMANY.

LACE JOINT FOR SHOES AND OTHER APPAREL.

Application filed June as, 1926, Serial a... 118,623, and in Germany April 24,1926.

My invention relates to improvements in lace joints for shoes and other apparel, and

the object of the improvements is to provide a joint which can be made by merely pulling the lace, and in which it is not necessary to pass the lace through eyelets. With this object in View my invention consists in fixing short strings to the rims to be jointed, and connecting the said strings to a lace located between the rims and passed through a series of buttons or eyelets, the said buttons or eyelets being fixed, in case of a shoe lacing, to the tongue covering the joint. By pulling the said lace the lateral strings are pulled into and through the said buttons or eyelets, thus closing the joint. By releasing the lace the shoe is again opened.

For the purpose of explaining the inveih,

tion an example embodying the same has been shown in the accompanying drawing, in which the same reference characters have been used in all the views to indicate corresponding parts. In said drawing,

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing the top part of a shoe, the joint being closed,

Fig. 2 is a detail view on an enlarged scale showing the joint open,

Fig, 3 is a similar detail view on an enlarged scale showing the joint closed, and

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4- of Fig. 3.

' In the example shown in the drawing the rims 1 and 2 of the shoe have short strings 3 secured thereto for example by means of smallrivets 4, and all the said strings are 'ointed at their inner ends to two branches of a lace 5 located bet-ween the joint and passed through buttons or eyelets 6 fixed to the leather tongue 7 covering the foot of the wearer at the joint. Preferably the strings 3 are longer near the .top part of the joint than near the bottom end thereof, because the joint is ordinarily wider open at the top end than at the bottom end. Accord ingly also the distance between the buttons or eyelets 6 is larger at the top end than at the bottom end. The buttons or eyelets are constructed so that not only the lace 5 can be passedtherethrough but also the strings 3. At their top ends the branches of the lace 5 are formed with a loop 8 for passing the finger into the same when making the joint, and in the preferred construction the said loop carries the top member 9 of a press button, the bottom member 10 of which is fixed to-the side of the shoe, so that after closing the joint the lace 5 can be fixed in position by means of the press button 9, l0.

The'joint is made as follows: 'VVhen the shoe is open, as is shown in Fig. 2, the lace 5 is pulled upwardly, the wearer passing one or two fingers into the loop 8. Thereby the lateral strings 3 fixed to the rims 1 and 2 are pulled inwardly and through the buttons 6, so that the joint assumes the position shown in Fig. 3. The end of the lace 5 is fixed in a suitable way for example by means of the press button 9, 10, so that the joint is not loosened. For opening the shoe the lace 5 is released, whereupon the strings 3 are again brought into the position shown in Fig. 2 by separating the rims 1 and 2.

As appears more particularly from Fig. 4;, each of the buttons 6 comprises a shank 12 carrying a cap portion 13 formed at each side of the shank with a recess 11 adapted to receive the lace 5. Thus the lace 5 and the ends of the strings are located above the rims of the joint, so that the edges can be closely connected. In some cases the lace 5 consists of a fine flexible lace made from thin wires having the strings 3 twisted thereto.

In the example shown in the figures the lace 5 is provided by the free ends of the strings 3, the ends of the strings being successively connected with each other. Thus all the strings are connected with each other at their ends, and the lace provided by the jointed ends of the strings is passed through the recesses 11 of the buttons. The loop 8 is provided by the uppermost strings 3.

\Vhile in describing the invention reference has been made to a particular example embodying the same I Wish it to be understood that my invention is not limited to the construction shown in the drawing.

I claim:

1. A joint for shoes and other apparel, comprising adjacent rims to be jointed, a plurality of strings individually secured to each of said rims, buttons one for each pair of cooperating strings fixed relatively to said joint as against longitudinal displacement, said buttons being formed with eyes adapted to have the strings passed therethrough, a

lace passed through said eyes and connected with said strings, saidlace being formed with a loop adapted to be gripped by the finger of the wearer, and a press button havingits bottom part fixed to the apparel and its top part fixed to said loop.

2. A joint for shoes and other apparel,

comprising adjacent rims to be jointed, a plurality of strings individually secured to each of said rims, said strings of each rim being connected at their inner ends to provide a continuous lace, and buttons one for each pair of cooperating strings fixed relatively to said joint as against longitudinal displacement, said buttons being formed with rims to be jointed, a plurality of strings, individually secured to each of said rims, the strings 01 each rim being successively connected with each other at their inner ends to provide a continuous lace, and buttons one for each pair of cooperating strings and formed with eyes for the passage of said strings and lace therethrough,

eyes adapted to have the strings and lace 10 passed therethrough. 3. A joint for shoes, comprising adjacent In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my 2 signature.

' FRANZ KOSLOWSKI. 

